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Heron, Illinois, June 23, 1922.

The participation of 3,500 minors in Heron and 10,000 miners in Williamson County in the nationwide

strike of 90,000 bituminous miners, had progressed without disturbance for two and one

half months, and even with quite amicable understanding between

the operators and their men.

In the case of the Southern Illinois Coal Company, which owns the strip mine six miles southeast

of Heron, the company had been employing about 39 union members in partial operation satisfactory to the miners, and,

they say, with an agreement not to extend operations. The Southern Illinois Company purchased 80 acres

of land upon which the mine is situated about a year ago, and shortly thereafter began what is known as a strip operation.

This consists of removing surface dirt from underlying coal, blasting out the coal, and loading it onto cars with power shovels.

The coal in this case was 30 feet below the surface.

The union miners and the company had an agreement that the company would be permitted

to conduct its stripping operations, but that it should not take out or load any coal,

and this operation by union men proceeded until June 12. On that date the company, the men say, demanded that they began to load coal.

The men refused, and the company discharged them.

The following Thursday, 50 strangers to the town and county appeared at the mine, and it was understood that they had come from Chicago.

25 were understood to be members of a steam shovelman's union there, and 25 were said to be men who were to guard them from interference with their work.

A wounded guard said that he had been employed by an insurance company in Chicago

which had insured the mine company.

Heron Unionmen declare that the guards were employed by a detective agency

which furnish a strikebreakers as business.

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